The Muslims were surprised...

The Muslims were surprised; doubts started occuring in their minds about the truth of Islam vis-a-vis Christianity. Mu’tamid realized the danger and ordered that Imam Hasan al-’Askari be brought from the prison. After explaining his problem, the caliph asked the Shi’a Imam to rescue Islam!

The Imam said, “Ask the Christian priests and monks to go to the desert tomorrow on Tuesday.” Caliph: “Enough rain has come; so why should we ask them to go to the desert tomorrow?” The Imam: “So that I may dispell the doubt by the will of God.” The caliph issued the order. The priests and the monks gathered in the desert, and the Imam and Muslims also were present there. The Christians lifted their hands in prayer for rain; the sky became cloudy and rain started to fall.

“ Imam al-’Askari pointed at one of the monks and ordered the soldiers to take whatever they found in his hand. They discovered that the monk was holding a piece of human bone in his hand. The Imam placed that bone in a piece of cloth and covered it. Then he asked the priests and the monks to pray again. But this time there was no sign of any cloud or rain! Everyone was surprised at this turn of events.

The caliph asked the Imam: “What bone is this?” The Imam (a.s.): “This is a bone of one of the prophets of God which they have taken from his grave; and one of the miracles of a prophet’s bone is that whenever it is exposed from the grave, it will start to rain.” The caliph’s people examined the bone and found that what our Imam was saying was the truth. Thus, a descendant of ‘Ali and Fatima, rescued the ummah of his grandfather from the enemies of Islam! 4.

Ishaq al-Kindi & the Qur’an Ishaq al-Kindi was a famous philosopher known for materialistic views about the world and religion. Once he started writing a book in which he intended to show the contradictions in the holy Qur’an. One day, some students of his came to visit Imam Hasan al- ’Askari (a.s.).

The Imam: “Isn’t there anyone among you who can stop your teacher from such a useless task?” The student: “We are his students; how can we stop him from what he is doing?” The Imam: “Are you prepared to convey to him the argument that I would teach you?” The students: “Yes, of course.” The Imam: “Be courteous towards him and gain his confidence. Then tell him that you have a question about his work.